So Too Does This Life Go On
by Foxy Poet
Summary: What are the world's most steadfast heroes to do after they've saved it from disaster, time and again? This growing collection of loosely connected short stories and drabbles hopes to answer this question and more. [Current Update Schedule: Wednesdays and Saturdays. Title, summary, rating and genre(s) are each subject to change with the addition of new stories.]
1. Water Fight - Part 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction. Please don't sue me._

* * *

WATER FIGHT

 _The swordsman supposed it had started out innocently enough_. A big splash, some giggles – all harmless fun at the beach, right?

As the droplets of water continued to pelt Cloud's bare chest with greater frequency, he began to think contrary of that belief.

"Perhaps you shouldn't be playing with your materia?" Red XIII grumbled, panting in the shade of a nearby umbrella. Someone shouted something nearing offensive in response.

The sunlight dimmed suddenly, and, suspicious of foul play, Cloud peeled open his eyes. A coursing wave of water was bearing down on his position, signaling an end to his sunbathing.

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A/N: First upload, first chapter, first etcetera. Hope you all enjoyed, and please feel encouraged to voice any critique!


	2. Water Fight - Part 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction._

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BACKWASH

 _Yuffie realized her error as the waves receded, but it was too late_.

At her blond foe's command, the water rapidly converged around her waist, lifting her body from the ground.

A cry escaped Yuffie's lips and she struggled desperately to break free from her watery binds, but it was to no avail. Changing her strategy as she continued to drift farther from the shore, Yuffie commenced a fierce counterattack, hoping to distract Cloud long enough to escape. However, her attacks were merely blocked by his red-maned compatriot, whom she had also earned the wrath of.

 _Shoot_ , Yuffie thought morosely.


	3. Water Fight - Part 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction._

* * *

CROUCHING TIGER, SHORED TROUT

 _Tifa Lockhart was not exactly a "beach person", but at her friends' behest, she had given the ocean a chance_.

She regretted that decision immensely as another globule of compressed saltwater was unleashed overhead. Tifa wondered when they had come to possess so many _Demi_ materia, but that thought was cut off as the controlled waves swept her feet out from under her.

As she was going down, she caught a glimpse of Cid, doubled over with laughter.

"Traitor!" Tifa choked.

Unable to speak, Cid pointed at Tifa, laughing harder.

Rising unsteadily, she plotted her revenge against the sandy-haired pilot.


	4. Water Fight - Part 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction._

* * *

WATER GIANT

 _Barret directed a stream of water towards Cloud, eliciting a cheer from his daughter on her perch atop his broad shoulders as it broke upon the swordsman's form_.

"Barret, give me a hand, will ya?" Yuffie called out. He turned in time to see her plunge below the ocean's surface.

"Papa, you gotta save Auntie Yuffie!" Marlene urged, gesticulating at the submerged ninja. Barret focused his magic, lifting Yuffie to her feet. She said her thanks, giving him a thumbs-up before returning to the fray.

A barrage of liquid pellets struck Barret's chest, drawing his attention towards the far-off Vincent.


	5. Water Fight - Part 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction._

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SEA REAVER

 _The former ShinRa executive dove to the right, narrowly avoiding a stealthy torrent_. He prepared a spell in retaliation, the subtle green glow of energy surrounding his forearm as he lifted an orb of water. It then occurred to Reeve that he had no idea who had attacked him.

He glanced at Cait, who shrugged.

"Don't looker me, bossman. It's a free-fer-all now, as best I can tell." The autonomous feline observed, readjusting his oversized sunglasses. Reeve scanned the beach for a target, and saw Yuffie doing the same, a smirk pulling at her lips as she picked him out.


	6. Water Fight - Part 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction._

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SIX FEET UNDERWATER

 _Vincent had to admit that he was enjoying himself quite a lot, as he launched precision strikes against his friends, evading their sloppy counterattacks with ease._ Leaping over a swell that had crept up around his knees, he redirected the attack towards Tifa with few deft motions.

With Cloud and Red XIII now partaking in the sport, Vincent was having a somewhat harder time keeping track of everyone, and any pretenses of camaraderie had since been washed away.

"Wait, donnae do that, lassie!" Cait Sith shouted farther along the beach. Frowning, Vincent turned his red-eyed gaze towards the young ninja.


	7. Water Fight - Part 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction._

* * *

GOD OF WATER

 _Cid muttered a string of curses that would have made even the saltiest sailors blush as he beheld the scene unfolding before him_.

The gargantuan serpent and supposed god of the seas themselves, Leviathan, uncoiled to a towering height above the beach, taking in its surroundings. The raven-haired ninja and perpetrator of the summoning standing near its scaled base pointed a finger towards the rest of the party.

"Soak 'em." She commanded. Leviathan bellowed an earsplitting roar, gathering the surrounding water through force of will alone.

Cid's feet were carrying him swiftly away before the ringing in his ears stopped.


	8. Water Fight - Part 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction._

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GET ME A DRINK (OF WATER)

 _Red XIII was completely soaked, but, as he and the others were being escorted off the grounds, he counted it a blessing that he was no longer sweltering._

"So, I won, right?"

"No, you cheated."

"Did not – no one said it was against the rules!"

"The lass' got a fair point there."

"Thank you, Cait."

"What is _wrong_ with you people?" One of the security guards said, his features contorted with traces of fear and confusion.

"You want the long or the short of it?" Reeve asked, raising a tired eyebrow.

"I believe the question was rhetorical." Red interjected sagely.

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A/N: And that wraps up the Water Fight drabble story-thing. Thank you for reading, and don't forget to leave a review if you've got any critique to share!


	9. Hunter - Hunted

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters found therein, nor am I profiting from this work of fanfiction. So, there._

* * *

 _Private First Class Leonard Percival Smith of First Platoon, Baker Squad sped along the gently sloping hills of the Eastern Continent's southern Plainlands at a steady half-jog, keeping to the left rear of his fireteam._

The night sky above was blackened with rainclouds— _saturated an eerie green by his helmet's night vision optics—_ threatening to unleash a torrent on the Shinra Infantrymen as they swept the area for the fugitives-at-large, who had been sighted in the area less than twenty-four hours ago.

Leonard had heard rumors that they were part of the same terrorist group responsible for bringing down Midgar's Sector 7 Plate a few weeks back, which, if true, made him wonder just how dangerous they had to be to warrant an entire Platoon being sent after them on a mere _sighting_. Either way, he had a feeling in his gut that warned he was about to find out.

A dark-green silhouette at the top of the hill ahead held up a fist, and like the well-oiled machine they had been trained to be, First Platoon halted as one. The figure, Lieutenant Haley Gabel, made a complex series of hand gestures, which Leonard roughly translated as ' _Safety Off_ ', ' _Come Fireteam_ ' and ' _Engage Walking_ '.

Leonard followed the first two directions, moving closer to his Fireteam Leader, Corporal Edgar Walker, as a series of thirty soft _clicks_ filled the air. Unsure of what the third order meant, Leonard tapped Edgar's shoulder, shrugging. The Team Leader made the same gesture as the Lieutenant, leaving him equally stumped.

"C'mon, it's flanking maneuvers, man. Just stick close and start shooting at the bad guys when the el-tee gives the order." Edgar hissed under his breath.

Rounding the large mound close behind Edgar and Private Lisa Tiller, Leonard saw why they had stopped moments before: less than a quarter mile off was a campfire situated near a flowing stream, burning low in the late hours. Several bags and satchels were situated haphazardly around the light source, and two larger prone figures lay near each other, shrouded by sleeping bags. A third sat hunched over, facing opposite the advancing First Platoon.

Edgar signaled to stop, crouching into the knee-high grass.

Leonard followed suit, bringing his semi-automatic rifle to bear.

Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and he watched as the other teams got into position in a wide half circle around their targets.

* * *

"How's it looking?" Cloud Strife muttered, keeping his gaze fixed on the gurgling water.

"It looks like they're stopping. I can't really tell right now." Aerith Gainsborough said through gritted teeth, one eye barely open.

"They's in position, Soldier-Boy. It's now or never." Barret Wallace whispered.

Cloud nodded. "Get ready."

He pressed the makeshift detonator's only functioning button.

* * *

One of the sleeping figures shifted rapidly, and the fire abruptly went out. Leonard then heard a shrill _buzz_ , followed by a crackling _pop_.

His helmet's display shut off, plunging the world around him into near-total darkness.

"What the Hell?" Edgar yelped, apparently suffering the same technical malfunction.

"Open fire!" Haley screeched from somewhere, and the field lit up with intermittent streaks and flashes, the sound of gunfire echoing across the landscape.

Leonard squeezed the trigger as quick as his fingers could allow, aiming at what he hoped was one of the targets.

The clamor died down after some tortuous seconds as magazines were summarily emptied.

"I can't see a damn thing, now." Leonard said quietly, loading a fresh clip into his rifle. He felt Lisa place her hand on his shoulder, clasping it tight before releasing her grip.

She cursed after a moment. "Edgar's down. Multiple fatal bullet wounds to his chest; frontal impact." The Private stated grimly. "We gotta go, Lenny." Lisa grabbed Leonard's hand, pulling him along as they fled.

The sound of something distant breaking was carried by the wind. A strangled cry came not long after.

Weapon's discharge erupted every few seconds, only to elicit more of the same.

They had walked right into a trap, Leonard realized, and were being picked off one-by-one.

A nearby scream rang in his ears.

Stunned, Leonard watched in terror as two blue orbs seemed to materialize in front of him, drawing closer. He fired wildly, trying to hit them, each muzzle flash revealing a blurry figure that did not relent.

 _Click_ , _click_ , _click_ , _click_.

Leonard brandished his gun like a club, swinging blindly in front of him.

It impacted something solid, sending sparks flying.

He felt something jab his gut – heard the thin ceramic plating shatter.

Something else struck his chin.

* * *

"That's the last of them." Red XIII grumbled, his flame-tipped tail flicking erratically.

"We'd better get moving. They're gonna wake up eventually." Cloud said, surveying their handiwork.

The living had been lined up in one row, each administered a small drought of a particularly strong tranquilizer, their weapons and communications equipment destroyed for good measure. The dead— _which numbered only four_ —were in another line closer to the river.

If the survivors had any sense, they would likely head to the nearest settlement once they regained consciousness, which was due southwest. If not, Cloud suspected Barret wouldn't be too willing to sit by and let them try to kill the five of them in their sleep a second time.

Whatever they chose, he doubted it would be of any consequence in their quest to track down the Man in the Black Cloak.

"Lead the way, Blondie." Barret said, tossing a bag to Cloud. He caught it with ease, and, seeing that everyone was waiting on him, gave a small half-wave, signaling for them to move out.

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A/N: Uploaded 55 whole minutes into Sunday. My bad! Also, this story has bumped the collection up to a "T" rating, so I give my sincerest apologies to anyone rendered incapable of reading this.


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